


Intertwined

by zinny



Series: Heart of Iron [6]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, POV Peter Quill, POV Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Post-The Avengers: Infinity War, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-07 23:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14091903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinny/pseuds/zinny
Summary: Soulmates share physical perturbations with each other. From the sensation of pain to complete bliss. It's unusual. At least, to Peter it is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Can you guess what caused that chest pain? I know y'all know.

One moment Peter is standing in the Milano's cockpit, getting ready to reciprocate Rocket's taunt with a witty remark and the next second he was on the floor, a flare of pain throbbing within his chest. His vision blurred, dark dots dancing behind his eyelids as a wretched scream erupted from his throat. Peter vaguely noticed Gamora and Drax attempting to get him on his feet, Groot beside Rocket in the background, both watching him with uneasy expressions.

The feeling lasts for minutes but it felt like a lifetime on his end. Peter has never experienced anything like this. Actually, that's a lie. A few years back, the sensation of having his heart ripped right out of his chest was felt all over his body and down to his veins. At the time, Peter was with Yondu. He ended up dry heaving on a foreign planet, hands flat over his chest and tears streaming down his cheeks; it was terrifying.

Peter couldn't help but pity his soulmate. He was sure that those flashes of pain were from their end. Honestly, he couldn't help but pity _himself_. In the past, all of those shared moments of anguish sparked an interest in trying to find out who exactly his soulmate was. But now? Now, he wants to find them and throw them in the Milano and fuck off into space. Anything would be better than whatever his soulmate is experiencing right now.

Soulmates share physical perturbations with each other. From the sensation of pain to complete bliss. It's unusual. At least, to Peter it is. There were moments where he queried if his soulmate felt the early throbbing of an upcoming migraine in Peter's head from spending too many hours locked inside the ship with someone as literal as Drax and someone as sarcastic as Rocket.

"Quill?"

Peter owlishly blinked his eyes open, clumps of tears covering his eyelashes as he flickered his blurred vision to Gamora. Her eyebrows were furrowed, a frown etched on her usually stoic face. He was too busy trying to scrutinize her face that he didn't notice she was talking to him.

"W-what?" Peter finally croaks. The pain now subdues and is replaced with a bleak numbness across his chest and bones. He tries to raise a shaky hand only for Drax to reach over and push the jaded limb back down to his side.

"Let's get him back to his quarters," Gamora mumbles. She reaches over, lightly grasping his left side while Drax goes for the opposite one.

The pair carries him over to his room. Peter's bones feel worn-out and fatigued. His throat is dry and his tongue is swollen. He swears he could practically taste the blood in his soulmate's mouth. Peter is gently, or as gently as Gamora and Drax can be, placed on his bed. Wincing, Peter sucks in a shaky breath before shutting his eyes in agony with a low groan on the tip of his tongue.

"How bad?" He hears Gamora question softly.

Peter licks his chapped lips before forcing his eyes open. "Real bad. It-it felt like someone was ramming something into my chest repeatedly. I could feel the throbbing in their chest, the blood in their mouth, I-I..." He exhales deeply and continues softly. "...What if they didn't make it?"

Drax looks over to Gamora, her face softens before she crouches to his side. Her fingers lightly on his hair before she speaks. "You would know if they didn't, Peter." Gamora paused, eyes trained on the wall behind his headboard. "When my soulmate died, I felt it. It was the most painful thing I've experienced. It was... quiet, numb and I knew they were gone. I could feel it in my bones."

For a moment, Peter assumed that's what just happened but something in his skin tingled, it was a foreign sensation. A faint hum was overheard in his mind, a silent reassuring lull. It gave Peter hope that his soulmate survived this — whatever _this_ was.

* * *

Years later with the threat of Thanos looming over the galaxy, Peter finds himself returning to his home planet. There was an inkling of excitement mixed with anxiousness. It's been so long since he's stepped into the Terrian soil. But there was something else. Something familiar and it was calling to him.

They ended up partnering up with a Terrian super-hero group or whatever. Peter didn't catch their name, he was too busy trying to keep Gamora from launching herself at the blonde woman in all black who kept throwing judging glances at them. Aside from the woman, the team itself was very diverse. From Captain America himself to a smaller kid — spider? To a real-life Norse God.

But who really caught his attention was the one who had a literal suit coming out of his skin. Tony Stark or as he's also known as; Iron Man.

There was something familiar about him. Not from the television clips he'd seen as a child or news articles in magazines his mother read but something else. Something primal and it had him impulsively attempting to get closer to him. Gamora most have noticed because her eyes widen before she raised her fist and struck him on the arm.

"Ow! What the hell, Gamora!?" Peter shouted, slightly tipping over and falling into Mantis' side.

Across the room, Tony Stark hissed in pain, his left hand covering his arm. The same arm Gamora hit.

Everyone in the room visibly stilled. But none of that mattered because Peter locked eyes with Tony Stark and everything changed in a matter of seconds. He could feel the bewilderment from him intertwined with Peter's very own wonder. Tony Stark's eyes were wide, his mouth slightly ajar and Peter has never been more drawn to someone before this.

Peter has found him. He's searched the galaxies, stars, and cosmos for him. And all this time, his soulmate was back home. The realization washed over him like a tidal wave. He found him and not even the threat of Thanos arriving could tarnish this moment for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since apparently some people wanted a second part or epilogue and I was in a writing mood, I composed this. By the way, this is an alternate universe and with that being said, I made Tony keep the Avengers Tower. Don't look at me like that, I'm attached to it, okay? Hope you like this and thank you for reading!

The sky was a mixture of purples and reds, the air flowing through Earth's atmosphere was charged with a scent of death and destruction but beneath all the rubble, there was a scintillating perception of relief. 

They prevailed, Thanos was defeated. Earth, the galaxy and it's cosmos were saved and yet, the aftermath didn't do much but remind them how much they lost. Skyscrapers that once decorated New York's skylines were crumbled and turned into heaps of dust on the concrete beneath everyone, bodies scattered throughout the city and people wept in both relief and pain. Either way, while the battle was over, the outcome has just begun. 

In the heart of Manhattan, Tony sat on the edge of the now semi-destroyed Stark Tower. To his left, the Spider-Kid sat cross-legged, his back straight as their shoulders brushed against each other. His mask was pulled off and he had bruises covering his face, a tinge of blood running down his lip but besides that, there was a soft expression on his face and Tony couldn't help but reflect the same emotion on his own. They sat in silence together, allowing themselves a moment of peace that they so rightfully deserve. 

"You did well out there," Tony said after a few moments of stillness. 

Peter turned to him, eyes shining with pride at his words. "R-really?" Even after all this, Peter still sees Tony as someone whose words of encouragement and compliments are worth every scolding and babying he's received. 

Tony turned back to the sky before nodding. "You stood your ground against a fucking Titan so yeah, kid. You did well." He paused with a slight frown. "Even if you did disobey me at every chance you got." 

"S-sorry, Mr. Stark." Peter's shoulders hunched slightly, a sheepish expression on his bruised face. 

Sighing, Tony rolled his eyes and bumped their shoulders together, giving the kid a smile to which Peter returns with a beam of his own. 

"Go on, look for your aunt, your friends." A small pause. "Your soulmate. They're probably worried sick about you." 

With a breathless chuckle, Peter stood. He stretched his back, pausing slightly before turning to Tony with a teasing grin. "All right, Mr. Stark I'm heading out." He flickered his eyesight over to where the entrance to the roof was supposed to be. "You should talk to your soulmate, too." 

That being said, Peter walked off. Tony turned to watch him leave only to see a familiar figure looming by the doors. Peter gave the person a once over before stepping around them and leaving completely. 

"I was wondering where you went." Tony greets, watching as Peter Quill now comes and takes Spider-Kid's spot next to him. 

"I was doing a headcount of the team. Somehow we all got separated." Quill faced the sky, he bit his lip before he visibly deflated and sighed. "I can't believe it's over." 

"You and me both." 

The two sat together, watching as flickers of soil were flowing through the atmosphere, mimicking the illusion of shooting stars within the bleeding sky. Now that he's seen outer space, nothing will truly compare to the translucent colors the galaxy has to offer. While a hint of fear ran through his veins at the thought of space, it didn't quite frighten him as it used. Not after knowing his soulmate inhabited the very same stars he once feared. And if Peter Quill could spend a majority of his life in the cosmos then Tony truly could not fault them. 

"Are you okay?" Quill inquires, his eyes now on Tony's face. 

Tony gave him a small shrug. "I will be." 

The sound of people talking beneath them momentarily distracted them. Tony could see the Spider-Kid being hauled into a tight embrace by his aunt and friends, a new person was lingering in his group; perhaps his soulmate. As if knowing he was being watched, Peter raised his head from his aunt's shoulder and interlocked eyes with Tony. He raised a hand, waving slightly before turning to the new person and smiling at them with a soft earnest in his eyes. 

Quill cleared his throat and Tony turned to see the usual boisterous man flush underneath his gaze. "I was scared." He admitted, his voice delicate as the words dripped down his tongue with sincerity. "I was scared for you. I felt every hit you got, every doubt in your mind and every flash of grief. I-I didn't know what to do but what I did know is that every time you got up and kept going, those flashes of determination? Yeah, those kept me going, too." 

Tony didn't know what to say. Feelings aren't something he's competent at. Especially not like this. While Peter Quill is obviously a man who is able to voice his sentiments without hesitation, Tony isn't able to do the same. Caring about someone is almost like second nature to him, he cares about people easily. After the whole "Civil War" dispute, he forced himself to stop. Tony focused on his inner circle; Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Vision, and Peter along with his AI and his bots - that's who he cares about. But now, there's this new person who just showed up but somehow is connected to him in the purest way. They were born with intertwined destinies and as much as he hates the idea of a forced connection, Tony couldn't help but relish on Peter Quill and his felicitous aura and the way it makes him feel. Quill is like a fountain of youth and Tony is suddenly craving for a taste. 

"What do we do now?" Tony questions, shoulders brushing against Quill's to get his full attention. "Whats our end game?" 

"Each other, of course," Quill answers immediately before cringing and giving him a shrug. "I mean, well... I just found you. I searched literal star systems for you, I'm not going anywhere unless you ask me to." 

"And if I asked you to take me with you to space?" Tony looked up at him, their eyes interlocking. 

"Then I'd take you with me. We'll hop on the Milano and go. No questions asked." Quill replied, his eyes never leaving Tony's. "Is that... Is that something you'd want?" 

There was a brief pause, Tony permitted himself to let the idea settle in his mind. While Earth has never been kind to him, it's still his home. It's where his family is and where he is comfortable in. He literally put his life on the line for the planet and as much as the reasons to stay piled on; Tony couldn't help but let the selfish thought of collecting his things and leaving override his reasons to remain in this godforsaken planet. For decades, he's been labeled as a selfish bastard and at this very moment, he wanted nothing more than to prove them right. 

"Tony?" 

He stopped his overthinking and glanced back at his soulmate. Candid blue eyes observed him, a hint of insecurity within the cerulean iris. With a deep breath in, Tony tilted his head and smiled. 

"Yeah, it's something I would want." 

The smile Quill gave him was nothing like he's seen before. The genuine delight stretching on his lips was contagious and he couldn't help but return the sentiment. For the first time in his life, Tony felt wanted and needed and something within chest erupted like a supernova of emotions that were now coursing through his veins, sending a rush of thrill down his spine and his core. He's never felt this before and that's what made this special. This is who he's meant to spend the rest of his life with and in the end, Tony didn't want anyone else. 

Quill reached forward, bruised and calloused fingers hovering over Tony's before placing the hand over his. The warm palm was covered in dried blood and soot but it didn't matter, Tony's skin burned in a way he has never felt before. They remained alongside each other, shoulders pressed against one another as they gazed back over to the sky with a newfound sentiment of optimism for the future.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Adrenaline](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14304840) by [starksparker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starksparker/pseuds/starksparker)




End file.
